This invention relates to the integration of three-dimensional computer graphics and a two-dimensional image to provide a realistic three-dimensional virtual reality experience.
The display of a three-dimensional virtual reality world to a user requires considerable computation power, and it is typically costly to develop the necessary highly detailed models required for doing so. In order to simplify the problem, two-dimensional images, such as videos or photographs, may be used to represent or simulate portions of the three-dimensional world. A great reduction in computation power and cost can be achieved by such an arrangement.
A limitation of such a world occurs when a user moves within the world and views the world from a location different than the original context of a two-dimensional image which has been carefully calibrated to xe2x80x9cfit intoxe2x80x9d the world. View changes, such as from a location different than the image""s ideal viewing point, result in the image not aligning or fitting well with the surrounding objects of the three-dimensional world. I have recognized that, in accordance with the principles of the invention, viewpoint changes may be dealt with by distorting the two-dimensional image so as to adjust the image""s vanishing point(s) in accordance with the movement of the user using a novel xe2x80x9cpyramidic panel structure.xe2x80x9d In this manner, as the user moves away from the ideal viewing point, the distortions act to limit the discontinuities between the two-dimensional image and the surroundings of the world. Various pyramidic panel structures may be constructed, including an octahedral panel structure which surrounds the user""s view point so as to provide the user with a so-called xe2x80x9cplenopticxe2x80x9d view of the world.
In another aspect of the present invention, the pyramidic panel structure may be segmented into sections, each translated towards or away from the user""s viewpoint and then scaled, so as to minimize the depth profile of the pyramidic panel structure. In yet still another aspect of the present invention, a hierarchical image resolution may be used, with portions of the image near the center of the image having a higher resolution than portions of the image near its perimeter.